Elephant poacher jailed for 14 years

Court Reporter
A 26-year-old villager from Dete who was a member of the poaching syndicate that has killed 106 elephants by cyanide poisoning in Hwange National Park was yesterday sentenced to 14 years in jail for possessing ivory. Akim Masuku of Chezhou Village was convicted on his own plea of guilty of possessing ivory without permission by Hwange regional magistrate Mrs Rose Dube.

Masuku, who was jointly charged with Normal Ncube (19) from the same village, had a six months sentence which was suspended in February this year for hunting without permission brought into effect and would now serve an effective 14 years plus six months.
Ncube pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody to 30 October.

The two were found with 13 tusks valued at $15 251 which were all recovered.
They were arrested when police tracked their footprints to Masuku’s homestead after 11 more carcasses of elephants were found in the Hwange National Park.

Masuku is also facing charges of discharging hazardous substances in violation of Environmental Management Act and hunting any wildlife and he pleaded not guilty in both of them.
The cases were postponed to 30 October.

The State led by Miss Namatirai Ngwashi would seek to prove that sometime last month, Masuku went to Guvalala Forest within Hwange National Park and applied cyanide to water points frequented by elephants.

As a result, the court was told, 10 elephants, two hyenas and 12 vultures died of poisoning.
The jumbos were valued at $500 000, while the two hyenas and 12 vultures were valued at $2 000 and $1 200 respectively.
This brings to four members of the syndicate who have been sentenced to date.

Three of the poachers – Robert Maposa (42), Thabani Zondo (24) and Dedani Tshuma (25) were recently sentenced to 16 years in prison each for illegal possession of ivory and contravening Section 73 (1) of EMA Act.

Maposa and Zondo were further ordered to pay $600 000 restitution to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority by 31 December 2013  and Tshuma was also ordered to pay $200 000 restitution by the same date.